The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-06-04
cos1 OF GOVERNMENT.

,.otement has been made up SHOW
= ,he amounts appropriated by Con-
sss At its late session for the support
; 4. Government for the year which
=, and June so, 1883. The total sum
y .hout two hundred forty-eight and a
IN million dollars. There were two
.anropriation bills that failed to be-
.pps Iaw-the River and Harbor bill.
ss;eh the President neither approved
.or vetoed, and the Deficiency bill.
,bich was passed by both branches OF
canrress. but could not be prepared
mr. he Presidents signature before the
lima Of adjournment II we add the
Ihurteen million dollars appropriated
Nv these two bills, and the forty eight
millions required to pay the interest on
he public debt to the sum above men-
toned, we have three hundred and ten
million dollars as the amount deemed
ty Congress necessary to meet the
,arrent annual expenses OF Govern.
uent.
The corresponding expenditures dur
Ing Washington's administration av-
eraeed less than six million dollars a
wear. The population is fifteen times
. great as it was then !; the expendi-
ture is fifty times rs great. Yet this is
not an evidence Of extravagance, be-
cause the Government does for the peo-
ole vastly more than 1t did in the time
Of Washington.
The largest single item Of appropri-
alton is that for pensions. No less a
sum than cighty-three million dollars
Is granted for this purpose for the fis.
calyear. This sum alone would have
paid all the ordinary expenses of the
Government except interest, for tho
first eighteen years under the Consti-
tuition. or until 1908. Next comes the
post-ofice. taking ffty-five and a half
millions, but Of this amount more than
City millions will be derived from
postage and other revenues Of the
department.. The charge for the ARM.
Is little less than twenty-four mill
IONS Tho appropriation for the navy
d larger than usual. almost twenty-five
millions, because some new ships are to
be built Most of the salaries paid to
officers of the United States, and to
Congress, are provided for in the Legis-
lative, Executive and Judicial Appropri-
atoms act. This act covers a sum of
twenty and a half millions moro than
It was twelve years ago, when the
population was much smaller than 1t is
now. A great variety of matters are
provided for under the bill known as
the Sundry Civil Appropriations act
the mint; constructing, repairing and
warming and lighting public buildings;
the life-saving service; lighthouses;
collecting the revenue; paying back
duties wrongly assessed; and a great
many others. This act appropriated
Twenty-Five millions. this year, about
The usual amount.
We have thus accounted for all but
about seventeen million dollars of the
appropriations, which are disposed Of
thus: Indians, five millions; District
Of Columbia, four millions; Ministers
and Consuls. abroad, one million and
ahalf; Agricultural Department, one
million; Military Academy, halt u mill
ion; and tho rest for miscellaneous
small purposes.
Although there are some abuses in
the Government, the public service is.
on The whole. conducted in a manner
that will compare creditably, for econ
omy and efficiency. with that Of any
other country in tho world. For cx-
ample, the British civil service. which
Is so much praised. costs nearly thir-
teen million dollars. Or twice as much
Is the corresponding service in this
country. although the population Of the
United States outnumbers that Of the
United Kingdom by twenty-five mill
Ions.
Its quito beyond the bounds of
auInan possibility to cxpend the three
hundred millions and more which the
government pays out every year with
out some Of it going to waste, by be-
ing paid to people who are not entitled
20 IT. but we succeed as we'll as any
Other country in limiting these abuses.
aiis success, however, should not have
the effect Of leading the people to
cease their efforts still to improve TIE
service. We must also remember that
IN increasing population must mean
IN Increase Of. expenditures; and that
'ae march Of civilization itself is con.
SANITY adding to the requirements
which the people make Of their GOV.
eminent, while every new function Of
government adds to the cost Of main
1'nlng it, Youths Companion.
--
Ancient Persian Gems.
y vvAn I--.-f